I think you must be England-based since you spell "practise" (the verb) "practice" - a common mistake in England where the verb is "practise" but the noun "practice" but almost unknown in the USA where both are "practise".

You astound us by your deductions, Mr Bridge - but one would have thought Nathan's use of the term Happy Holidays is more telling if not to his actual whereabouts then to his cultural origins.

Otherwise:

If you're going to use accompaniment at all I would say that a frailing 5-string banjo is perfect for ballad singing - second only to a fiddle really. The Revival has lost both the context and technique of ballad singing which is why we get all this stuff about expression and storytelling but the ballads are strong enough without the thespian histrionics we're hearing more & more of these days but which are (most importantly!) entirely absent from traditional performances. The best advice is to go back to the source and listen to the Traditional Singers. A good place to start is the Child Ballads over at The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection. Mrs Pearl Brewer is especially gifted in this respect but then again she wasn't facing audiences of the Revival Folky Faithful who think they somehow own this stuff. Her Cruel Mother (Down by the Greenwoodside - #277 & #350) is a consummate reduction to its very essence; the pure drop in fact. Above all though, to thine ownself be true - seek your own voice and you'll be sure to find it.